Cowboys Monday Mock: Seven Round Draft

KD Drummond

03/03/2015

We take a look at where certain players might be available in the Cowboys quest to improve the talent base of their roster in the 2015 draft.

Due to yesterday’s free agency activity, we’re a day late with our Monday Mock, our apologies. Last week, we attempted to mock the entire first round of the NFL Draft to see which players would be available once Dallas reached the clock at Pick 27. Mock drafts are a lot of fun, but shouldn’t be taken seriously beyond what they are; an opportunity to play out one of millions of permutations for how the draft may fall. In that one, we selected a replacement for UFA Demarco Murray in Georgia’s Todd Gurley. For us, despite his ACL injury (of which he is weeks ahead of his recovery schedule, per Dr. James Andrews), Gurley is the back to buck the trend of first-round worthiness. Combined with Dallas’ late draft position of 27th, and knowing there are usually only 15-20 players given first-round grades from teams, it wouldn’t be out of the question for Dallas to use their pick on Gurley IF they feel he is the next Adrian Peterson.

Today, we’ll go a different route, in the exercise as well as the choice for Dallas. Using the Mock Draft Simulator of Fanspeak.com, we will attempt to model an entire seven-round mock for Dallas. Fanspeak allows users to mock for one particular team, while the other 31 teams are controlled by the simulator. The sim combines Fanspeak’s rating of team needs with whichever Big Board the user selects to be the “player ranking” bible. There are currently seven different big boards to choose from. For this exercise, we used the Drafttek big board. (Note, Drafttek’s big board has been updated after the one that is in use for this mock).

Note: As we get closer to draft day, we’ll employ some trade scenarios, but for now we will invoke a no trade clause on the mocks.

Quinten Rollins

Rollins is a true wild card, and Dallas has made a habit of taking a bit of a risk in the second round, trying to get first round talent. Rollins was Miami’s point guard for four years before deciding to try his hand at football. He only went out and showed immense ball skills in picking off seven passes in the legit MAC conference. His talent is raw, no question, but with a year to work behind Carr, Scandrick and Claiborne, Dallas could have stolen a future number one cornerback here. If Carr takes a paycut, he'll be here for a while and would be a capable No. 2 if Dallas ever found a true No. 1. Could it be Rollins?

PICK

POSITION

PROSPECT

HEIGHT/WEIGHT

SCHOOL

3.2791

DT

Grady Jarrett

Jarrett could be Aaron Donald Lite, for the Cowboys. Short and stocky with a quick first step, great change of direction and an ability to penetrate using his hands. Very strong. He chases draws and screens exceptionally well and almost always wins the leverage battle against offensive linemen with longer arms and taller frames. There is a downside, that when they are able to engage on him, he loses the battle. He flashes on every tape you put on of Top 15 pick Vic Beasley. Should be able to play both 1 and 3 tech when required.

PICK

POSITION

PROSPECT

HEIGHT/WEIGHT

SCHOOL

4.28124

RB

David Johnson

One of the fastest and most agile athletes for his size at the position in the draft, Johnson could be just what Dallas needs in their running back by committee approach. Johnson is a sure-handed catcher (he’s a former wideout who’s built like a linebacker), who is stout, and refuses to be brought down at initial impact. Shifty with the ball in his hands. Similar to Demarco Murray, doesn’t have the pure breakaway speed that one would look for in a do-everything back.

PICK

POSITION

PROSPECT

HEIGHT/WEIGHT

SCHOOL

5.27155

WR

Stefon Diggs

6’0” 195 lbs

Maryland

Diggs’ acceleration is insanely quick, able to get going in a jiffy; his 10-yard split of 1.54 was one of the best marks at the combine. He’s a home run threat with fluid and sharp cuts out of his breaks, exceling on both underneath routes and deep ones. Most importantly for the Cowboys, he has short area quickness and a history of being a quality return man, as a replacement for Dwayne Harris who we expect will chase greener pastures. Injury concerns knock him down to the fifth round (broken leg ’13, lacerated kidney ’14) but has Day 2 talent. He fights for the ball, and fights for the yard marker consistently. Showed out despite lackluster quarterback play throughout his career.

PICK

POSITION

PROSPECT

HEIGHT/WEIGHT

SCHOOL

7.14206

QB

Connor Halliday

6’3” 196 lbs

Washington State

Yes, Dallas thinks that Dustin Vaughan can compete for a backup job this year, but that doesn’t mean Dallas won’t look to bring in some youthful competition. The team interviewed Halliday at the Combine and word on the street is that the kid’s live arm is intriguing plenty of NFL teams. He’s always played in a spread offense, so that will be a major adjustment, but he’s always preferred a vertical passing attack, which isn’t typical. Put on his tape against Oregon and see if you don’t come away intrigued.

PICK

POSITION

PROSPECT

HEIGHT/WEIGHT

SCHOOL

7.16208

FB

Tyler Varga

5'11” 222 lbs

Yale

A fullback you can actually hand the ball to in short-yardage situations and throw to when he leaks out of the backfield? Say it ain’t so! Pre-med with a 3.5 GPA at Yale, he’ll have the smarts to play the position and be the H-Back Dallas needs on occasion. Bruising physical specimen. Tackle breaker with halfback moves. Jason Garrett loves the fullback despite him taking a weapon off the field. Varga is a solution for this problem, times ten.

Obviously, these players are slotted at very different slots depending on which big board you use; but just as they might be long gone under different circumstances, other players worthy of consideration could be available where Dallas picks. For a look at how the entire mock draft unfolded, check out this link.

Onside Kicks

*So Dez gets the non-exclusive franchise tag, Stephen Jones tells CowboysHQ.com. That puts Dallas at $129 million of used cap space ... plus Dez' $12.8 mil hold ... which equals $141.8 million. But the cap is at $143.28 million? Yes. Now add the $5 million carryover from 2014 (that essentially makes Dallas' cap $148 mil) ... and there is about $7 mil of room at the moment. The team also has a few restructure and release options at their disposal should they want to create more room. This would include restructuring Tyron Smith and/or looking at QB Tony Romo to create more space. (We'll break all that down in the coming hours). There are a handful of other moves that could create a million or so of additional wiggle room. ... all simply a part of what is, as Condon accurately says, "business.''